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Friday, December 28, 2012

Today is Card Playing Day. This is a day where everybody needs a break after the busy holiday. Take time today to wind down, play a friendly game with a deck of cards or with a specialty deck, and spend time with friends or family. And nothing goes better with friends and fun than a nice craft beer. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Friday, December 28th, 2012.

Planning to go out New Years Eve? Be aware - DUI checkpoints will be set up throughout the state. Open liquor containers in public may also get you a citation. Don't get caught drunk driving in your car. Use a designated driver, take public transportation or call a taxi. Most places will be happy to call a cab for you.

Metro Denver

De Steeg Brewing (Denver) - Denver is one step closer to having another brewery open. Last week, the brewery received their Federal brewer's notice and is officially allowed to brew beer now. All their ingredients have been ordered and accounts set up and they will start brewing beer very soon. Stay tuned for word on when they plan to hold their opening.

Vine Street Pub & Brewery (Denver) - Time once again for a Firkin Full Moon Friday. Today at 4:20pm they'll be tapping two different firkins at Vine Street. 1st up is their Old School Stout with vanilla added. They'll also be tapping their house Wheat Beer with Hibiscus flowers added. It's always a great time to try something new at Vine Street.Wynkoop Brewing Co (Denver) - Sometimes it takes balls for a brewer to can a new beer and Wynkoop is doing that literally. What started out as a joke on April Fool's Day earlier this year became one of the most talked about beers during the Great American Beer Festival. Wynkoop's Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, a beer that is actually brewed with bull's testicles, will soon be coming to cans in 2013. This "beefy" beer has become quite popular in the Denver area and Wynkoop decided they should offer it up in cans and produce even more of it. The cattle in these parts should be a bit more nervous in the year ahead.

Cannonball Creek Brewing Co (Golden) - Golden's next brewery has been busy brewing their first 4 batches of beer this week. Their initial brews are busy fermenting in their vessels and should be ready very soon in time for their grand opening. Look for an opening day announcement coming very soon. The brewery will be located at 393 N. Washington Avenue in Golden, CO.

Northern Colorado

Black Bottle Brewery (Ft. Collins) - While many places will require for you to dress up to the nines and charge a huge cover for attending their New Years Eve parties, Black Bottle is doing just the opposite. Get a Free Champagne Toast and late night appetizers. Dinner is on YOU however. No dress code for this party, but please keep it classy. Plenty of great craft beer on tap - theirs and over 30 guest beers.

High Hops Brewery (Windsor) - The brewery will open today at noon and stay open tonight with some live music from Joel Kachel tonight. Bedrock BBQ will also be on hand this evening to server up some tasty barbecue dishes. Happy hour runs from 3pm to 4:30pm with dollar off pints.

Crabtree Brewing (Greeley) - For the first time since they opened their brewery over 6 years ago, Crabtree Brewing is planning to stay open late for New Years Eve. While there's no big party plans, come share a couple pints with friends and toast in the New Year with Crabtree.

Odell Brewing Company (Ft. Collins) - Cases of their seasonal Red Ale started rolling off the bottling line today at the brewery. Look for Red Ale to be available in January along with the upcoming release of Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout. January is going to be awesome at Odell.

Mountains and West

Ska Brewing Co (Durango) - It may still be a month away from the annual Snowdown festival in Durango, but already Ska Brewing has their 2013 festival brew ready for tapping. Today at 5:00pm they'll be tapping their "Pocket Protector Porter 2.0", a vanilla porter brewed at 6.0% ABV. The theme of this year's Snowdown is "Get Your Geek On". Nerd and Geeks will love this year's events. www.snowdown.org.

Bars, Restaurants and Misc.

The Mayor of Old Town (Ft. Collins) - Bars across the region will be hosting a simultaneous special Avery Brewing tasting event on Wednesday, January 16th at 7:00pm MST. Come to the Mayor's for an Avery Dictator Series tasting featuring The Czar Imperial Stout, The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest, and The Maharaja Imperial IPA. You can get a flight of all three plus a pretzel for $10. Special swag available too.

Did You Know? (Brewery Facts) - According to the Brewers Association, between August 9th to November 28th, there were 10 brewery or brewpub openings that took place in Colorado and 161 nationwide. In that same time, there were just 19 breweries that closed nationwide.

Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival (Vail) - The 13th annual BBBB Festival is coming up on January 10-12, 2013 at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa. This festival is known for being one of the must-visit beer festivals in the nation. Over 200 different beers from 67 breweries from the US and international will be sampled along with seminars from top brewers and industry reps. Beer dinners have been sold out for months. If you have a ticket - hope to see you there. www.bigbeersfestival.com - @BigBeersFest.

Rackhouse Pub (Denver) - New Year's Eve is going to be special at Rackhouse for Left Hand Brewing lovers. The Rackhouse is planning a Left Hand Tap Takeover featuring 20 different Left Hand brews, 16 of which are GABF medal winners. Some of these beers are from the cellars - Widdershins Barleywine 2007, Snowbound Winter Ale 2008, Chainsaw Ale 2008. Also two brews on nitro including Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout. The night caps off with a Stranahan's Midnight Toast. Live music with no cover as well.

Live Music - Beer and music go great together and many Colorado breweries and watering holes offer live entertainment every day. Check out the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and find who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar. Updated daily.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog. "Like" us and get even more soon after it happens. Thanks for helping us grow to over 1300+ "Likes" so far in 2012!

Colorado Beer News is published daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. Stop back here often for all the latest. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.